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Monday, August 25, 2014

Making a career in Pharmacy

SUPRASANNA ARYAL
“I had always been interested in learning about medicines so I decided to pursue the pharmacy course,” shares Barsha Shakya, who completed her Bachelor’s in Pharmacy (BPharm) from National Model College of Advanced Learning (NMCAL) in Naya Bazaar a few months ago.

While pursuing the four-year course, she got to learn about many things she was curious about. “Effects of various types of drugs on human body, process of making of tablets and capsules and herbal medicines among others were the most interesting things I learned in my college,” she reminisces.

Sharing about the scope of learning pharmacy, Prajwal Jung Pandey, Head of Marketing of LUMOS Pharmaceuticals, informs that after pursuing a formal education on pharmacy, individuals have many choices regarding their career.

Having completed her postgraduate degree in Pharmacy from Kathmandu University, he observes, “After pursuing a pharmacy course, one can get involved in research labs, drug industries, hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy or government/non-government organizations.” He adds that the subject has wide scopes abroad, too.Barsha, who is currently working as the Pharmacy In-charge at Annapurna Neuro Hospital in Maitighar says that her job is as interesting as was her studies. “We’re required to supply medicines to the patients of the hospitals and keep record of the same for future references,” she shares. She also has to provide counseling to the patients regarding the use of drugs, their timings, doses and side effects.

Likewise, Prabin Shrestha, after completing a three-year diploma course in Pharmacy from Nepal Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) in Boudha, started working as a pharmacist in the shop ‘Pawan Pharma’ located in Paknajole.

“Many patients come to us with their problems before going to a doctor or a hospital,” he shares, adding, “We prescribe a medicine if the ailment is minor and curable. If the case is a serious one, we suggest the patient to go to a doctor first.” Prabin says that pharmacists need to feel responsible toward the quality of the medicines they supply.

Besides giving consultation on the drug use and supplying medicines, his pharmacy also provides basic services like Blood Pressure testing and vaccination of tetanus, rabies and hepatitis.

Adding to what Prajwal said about the scope of studying pharmacy, Prabin shares that individuals also can pursue the career of Medical Representative (MR) and maintain good PR with many people in the field. “If one is passionate about sharing the knowledge in formal institutes, one can opt for teaching, too,” he points out.

When it comes to significance of learning pharmacy, Prajwal emphasizes that pharmacists play a major role in creating awareness about the proper use of drugs.

“After years of theoretical studying, and having come across many ailment cases on a daily basis, pharmacists have ample knowledge about various drugs and their uses,” he says. In a country like Nepal, where doctors are still scarce and not readily available, pharmacists can aid patients in need by suggesting them the right course of medication that could even save their lives.

“In many western countries, pharmacists also perform many clinical practices as doctors do, and this trend is slowly increasing in Nepal, too,” he observes, suggesting that this is a great achievement. If better technical assistance and more advanced theoretical knowledge are incorporated in pharmacy courses, pharmacists can help improve the health status of the country, he concludes.